Don't forget to set your clocks forward on Sunday.
Quick Reminder: You can always let me know about stuff you have going on. If it's music related (shows, readings, films, etc), I'm interested. I typically write this newsletter on Wednesday evenings, so consider that the cutoff for an issue.
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Party on,
Maria T
When pedal steel guitar player Susan Alcorn died unexpectedly on January 31 it sent shockwaves through the experiemental/avant garde community. A fearless explorer, her music left an impact on all those who encountered it, myself included. (If this is the first you're learning about Susan Alcorn, the Quietus published a stellar guide to her music yesterday.) The first time I saw her perform (I want to say 2014, with Ava Mendoza???) it was one of those moments where the universe shifted for me. I just didn't realize you could play the pedal steel like that.
The venerable Fire Museum has put together a lineup of musicians from Philly, Baltimore, and NYC—including Bill Nace, Sam Wenc, and Rose Thomas Bannister, among others—to pay tribute to Alcorn and raise money for her partner, David Lobato.
Best known as one half of the long-running art weirdo group Half Japanese, Jad Fair has been making artworks out of paper cuttings for most of the band's existence (and grace the cover of many of the band's releases). Space 1026's show will have 100 of Fair's works on view, and a special signed edition silkscreen will be available for purchase at the opening reception. The news of this show appeared kinda out of nowhere, which feels totally on brand for any Fair-related project.
Nikki Lopez, Philly's newest spot for live music happens to be a familiar face to a certain vintage of concert goers: It's the former J.C. Dobbs/Pontiac Grille space, now booked by the folks behind the NYC venue Scenic. (What fun, this show got moved to Foto Club due to permit issues. -m.)
As part of their inaugural run of shows, they've got Bay Area punk legends The Avengers gracing the stage. The band worked with Steve Jones for their lone official release before calling it quits in 1978, though not without leaving a huge impression for countless folks over the past 40 years. The Avengers resurfaced at the turn of the millennium for their Lookout! reissues and have been an ongoing-ish concern ever since.
Lupo Città—"wolf city" in Italian—features another rock legend, Chris Brokaw (Come, Codeine, Martha's Vineyard Ferries, etc), in one of his many rock iterations. This time around he's joined by Sarah Black and Jenn Gori, late of the Minneapolis punkers the Bleeding Hickeys. Lupo Città's self-titled debut on 12XU was one of my faves of 2024, twisting woozy noirish guitars around girl group melodies. It's damn good music from these indie rock lifers.
A tour? In this economy? If that's your bag, musician Victor Vieira-Branco will discuss the ins and outs of how to do it. Someone needs to explain it, because Book Your Own Fuckin' Life is long out of print. Take note: This conversation starts at the ungodly, unpunk hour of 11:00 AM. Remember what I told you about the clocks, gang.
Two nights of stellar harp music from the Grammy Award-winning artist whose work builds upon the legacies of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, while also moving the instrument into a while new realm of its own. Part of Ars Nova's 25th anniversary celebration this spring. Runs through March 13.